I'm looking to open an interest-paying bank account that I can use for automatic payments of bills, credit card balances, etc. via EFT as well as checking and cash withdrawals. Local banks pay no interest. What are some of the best online bank accounts paying interest right now?

May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, The foresight to know where you're going, And the insight to know when you've gone too far. ~ Irish Blessing

In my opinion, the best option is a Fidelity CMA account, though it's not a bona fide checking account, rather a brokerage account with checking features. Here's why I think it's the best:

1) 100% free. No fees. No minimums.

2) You can purchase Fidelity Money Market funds, which Fidelity considers liquid cash and will auto-redeem as needed to cover any debits. If you purchase SPRXX, for instance, your "checking" account would currently have a 2.09% yield. You can make as many transactions as you'd like in a given month and are not limited to 6 transactions per month like a traditional savings account.

I looked at this hard a while back when I moved most everything from a brick and mortar bank to online. I was less interested in brokerage linkage and more interested in just traditional banking products--checking, higher yield savings, and CDs, all in one place.

The final four, in no order, where Ally, Fidelity, Schwab and CapitalOne360. They all looked good.

In my opinion, the best option is a Fidelity CMA account, though it's not a bona fide checking account, rather a brokerage account with checking features. Here's why I think it's the best:

(...snip...)

I'm struggling to think how this account could be improved.

I agree with your points in that the Fidelity CMA is a very useful, flexible account with many great features. One feature you didn't mention is the ability to hold FDIC insurance on up to $1.25M in cash. Fidelity will 'syndicate' your cash amongst up to 5 different banks for you so you get maximum FDIC coverage with no extra hassle. My cash position is usually 2 commas away from needing this, but perhaps it may be useful someday!

The only real downside I have noticed with a Fidelity account is that at its heart it really is a brokerage account, not a consumer banking account. This means that as consumer banking evolves, you may or may not have access to newly introduced banking features. For example, Zelle is a bank-sponsored quick, convenient, person-to-person money transfer service offered on most consumer checking accounts, but Zelle is not available with a Fidelity brokerage account or CMA.

I use and prefer Zelle over alternatives like PayPal or Venmo because Zelle is a true bank-to-bank transfer: there is no intermediary or separate account requiring a manual sweep to your real account. Transfers are free and instant, and you can send or request money. Unlike ACH transfers, you don't have to know your friend's bank routing and account number, just their email or cell number. And on your bank statement, instead of showing an vague/incomprehensible "ACH NAMEOFBANK" description, you simply see "Zelle: Name of Person" memo. It's a super easy way to split a dinner bill, or chip in your share of a group gift. Lack of access to Zelle might be the one thing holding me back from switching everything to Fidelity.

Whether you find Zelle useful or not, I bring it up as an example of consumer banking features that are unlikely to be made available on a brokerage account. Wells Fargo now has a 'cardless' ATM option, so you can get a code from your phone to use the ATM without your physical ATM card. Many banks offer the ability to instantly lock and unlock your debit card right from your phone in case you lose your card. I'm sure there are and will be more of these modern conveniences in the future - just be aware that the Fidelity CMA isn't likely to add or adopt any new features.

In my opinion, the best option is a Fidelity CMA account, though it's not a bona fide checking account, rather a brokerage account with checking features. Here's why I think it's the best:

(...snip...)

I'm struggling to think how this account could be improved.

I agree with your points in that the Fidelity CMA is a very useful, flexible account with many great features. One feature you didn't mention is the ability to hold FDIC insurance on up to $1.25M in cash. Fidelity will 'syndicate' your cash amongst up to 5 different banks for you so you get maximum FDIC coverage with no extra hassle. My cash position is usually 2 commas away from needing this, but perhaps it may be useful someday!

The only real downside I have noticed with a Fidelity account is that at its heart it really is a brokerage account, not a consumer banking account. This means that as consumer banking evolves, you may or may not have access to newly introduced banking features. For example, Zelle is a bank-sponsored quick, convenient, person-to-person money transfer service offered on most consumer checking accounts, but Zelle is not available with a Fidelity brokerage account or CMA.

I use and prefer Zelle over alternatives like PayPal or Venmo because Zelle is a true bank-to-bank transfer: there is no intermediary or separate account requiring a manual sweep to your real account. Transfers are free and instant, and you can send or request money. Unlike ACH transfers, you don't have to know your friend's bank routing and account number, just their email or cell number. And on your bank statement, instead of showing an vague/incomprehensible "ACH NAMEOFBANK" description, you simply see "Zelle: Name of Person" memo. It's a super easy way to split a dinner bill, or chip in your share of a group gift. Lack of access to Zelle might be the one thing holding me back from switching everything to Fidelity.

Whether you find Zelle useful or not, I bring it up as an example of consumer banking features that are unlikely to be made available on a brokerage account. Wells Fargo now has a 'cardless' ATM option, so you can get a code from your phone to use the ATM without your physical ATM card. Many banks offer the ability to instantly lock and unlock your debit card right from your phone in case you lose your card. I'm sure there are and will be more of these modern conveniences in the future - just be aware that the Fidelity CMA isn't likely to add or adopt any new features.

That's a very fair point. I use Venmo/Cash.app for all my person-to-person transfers, so the lack of Zelle support has never crossed my mind. I suppose if you need Zelle, use a real bank, but otherwise I think Fidelity is superior.

I use Synchrony. I recommend them, Ally, or Marcus which is Goldman Sachs. There are others that are just as good. Beware of some of the lesser known names as some of these offer a teaser rate, knowing you won't go to the trouble of switching when they dont offer competitive rates in the future.

Regarding Free Checking and High Interest Online Banks: If the hi interest banks you are interested in do NOT offer free checking, don't let this be a "deal killer". Work around: Use 2 banks. I have a USAA free checking account where USAA provides free postage and checks. I write about 5 checks a year and I receive about 5 checks a year. I pay all other bills out of my Allied Credit Union checking account.

I try to always keep about $100 in my USAA free checking account (basically this account is non-interest bearing & that is why they probably offer the services for free). When I know that I need to pay a bill by check (usually a once year event such as the annual property tax bill that I paid today), I simply auto transfer enough cash out of Alliant checking to USAA checking to cover the bill so I can write the check against my USAA checking account.

USAA checking works nicely for this limited role. It allows me to take advantage of its "award winning" checking account services without being penalized for the low interest. However, USAA has some strict membership requirements mostly related to prior military service or your affiliation to relatives with military service. If you do not qualify for USAA checking, I am sure you can find another bank that offers free checking.

Also, if you are interested in Alliant Credit Union, go to their website for qualifications. Basically, anyone can join.

I use a Redneck Megamoney account (found them through another Boglehead post). They pay 2.25% up to $50k. They have a checking account that pays 2.75% but requires things like direct deposit, use of a debit card and other hoops I'm not willing to do. They tend to be a month or 2 behind whoever is the leader at any one time with rates....but the leader is always someone different.

In my opinion, the best option is a Fidelity CMA account, though it's not a bona fide checking account, rather a brokerage account with checking features. Here's why I think it's the best:

1) 100% free. No fees. No minimums.

2) You can purchase Fidelity Money Market funds, which Fidelity considers liquid cash and will auto-redeem as needed to cover any debits. If you purchase SPRXX, for instance, your "checking" account would currently have a 2.09% yield. You can make as many transactions as you'd like in a given month and are not limited to 6 transactions per month like a traditional savings account.

I transferred from CapitalOne360 to ALLY in July--Ally's rates have increased 3 times (I think) since then. They are at 2% now. They also have a nice online chat feature I use often, which I prefer to calling on the phone. Nothing bad to say about Ally.

I transferred from CapitalOne360 to ALLY in July--Ally's rates have increased 3 times (I think) since then. They are at 2% now. They also have a nice online chat feature I use often, which I prefer to calling on the phone. Nothing bad to say about Ally.

I agree the chat feature is nice, except for the fact that none of my concerns could ever be done over chat, and they always wanted me to call, which took forever.

I think it all depends on how you define "best." For me, I've discovered that simplification is worth quite a bit. I used to have separate online savings and checking accounts which earned among the "most" in interest but I folded everything into the Vanguard Advantage Account in order to keep things simple. I gave up a few dollars but between taxes and ease, it was the best move for me.

We still have Fidelity CMA and Ally Savings but we split our cash between Alliant and Vanguard PMM. The reason we moved to Alliant was the ability to deposit cash via ATM which wasn't available through other online only bank services.

Check ratings and reviews on depositaccounts.com. I have used Ally, Discover, Alliant Credit Union and all have been great for Savings (all currently pay 2%), Alliant has a better checking account that pays 0.65% on all balances and has many other nice features e.g reimburses ATM fees up to $20/month. Ally Bank has a No penalty CD and sometimes has interesting offers. Recently, a 1% bonus on new money ( don't remember the details). I have used Discover and Alliant mobile check deposit app with no problems. They all have 24/7 service which is nice compared to brick banks.

Don't overlook Vanguard for it's Prime or Fed Money Market funds paying more than 2%. And their brokerage CDs pay pretty high rates but plan to hold them to maturity.

If you have accounts at Fidelity or Schwab I'd recommend Schwab Investor checking or Fidelity CMA services that matches where your investments are. The financial complexity of having yet another institution just for banking accounts seems very unnecessary in this day and age if your brokerage has a decent offering.

I think it all depends on how you define "best." For me, I've discovered that simplification is worth quite a bit. I used to have separate online savings and checking accounts which earned among the "most" in interest but I folded everything into the Vanguard Advantage Account in order to keep things simple. I gave up a few dollars but between taxes and ease, it was the best move for me.

I was waiting to see if anyone mentioned Vanguard Advantage. I brought it up with my Flagship rep recently, and asked why I should consider it. He paused, and said "you shouldn't". He said "if you're using Ally or another top bank, they offer capabilities that surpass ours. And, there are 3 people at Vanguard that support Vanguard Advantage. 3.".

If Vanguard would put some money and effort behind it, it could be a leader. But would that grab anymore business? And even if it did, they aren't trying to generate more profits like a Fidelity.

I think it all depends on how you define "best." For me, I've discovered that simplification is worth quite a bit. I used to have separate online savings and checking accounts which earned among the "most" in interest but I folded everything into the Vanguard Advantage Account in order to keep things simple. I gave up a few dollars but between taxes and ease, it was the best move for me.

For the VanguardAdvantage Account, Vanguard does provide bill payment and a debit card, but they decided not to reimburse outside ATM fees charged by the ATM provider or actively market the accounts, unlike Fidelity and Schwab. To have an Advantage Account, one must be "Voyager Select," " Flagship" or an "Asset Management Services" account. To me, that is a rational business decision. On a standalone basis, accounts like this generate, at most, minimal revenue and have higher servicing requirements and operating expenses; the costs and ATM reimbursements would have just been adds to Vanguard's expenses.

I'd rather have better returns and use another provider, like Fidelity or Schwab, with a substantive services team..

I'm in the process of moving from USAA to Alliant. They have a really cash back Visa plus good savings and checking rates. The only downside I've seen compared to USAA is mobile deposits have to be reviewed instead of instantly process on USAA and the deposit check images are not displayed.

I think all of the points relating to Vanguard Advantage are valid. If I had most of my investments at Fidelity, I may well use the Fidelity option.

I have had no problems with the Advantage account since it was rolled out, and I've been using them since the beginning. They are reliable and the account is interest bearing. All of my Vanguard accounts can feed into the Advantage account, and back-up investments serve as virtually unlimited overdraft protection.

Then again, my needs are very specific. I don't need an ATM card because I must maintain an account locally, and I have my business through a brick and mortar bank where I work.

As a Vanguard Advantage Account holder I'm surprised that they have such little support. I wonder if they will discontinue it since they certainly don't promote it and make it hard to find on their web site. I like having check writing on the Fed Mondy market account. Awhile ago I was going to use it as our main checking account but the MMKT rates were almost zero.

The certainly don't need me telling them how to run their business but I thought it was another way to attract and keep customers (and their assets). Lots of inertia when you have your savings/checking etc at an institution. People send their pay, pension, SS to their bank instead. Funny how other firms seem to promote it.

- the online CD management is excellent, you can change what happens at maturity, select where the money goes, what happens to interest, etc. I don't know of any other online or B&M bank that allows that flexibility.

- The Ally no penalty 11 mo CD is currently at 2.25% (for minimum 25K), works like a savings account after the 6 day hold period.

Besides a high savings rate, they have super friendly and efficient customer service reps. I was overseas this year and encountered some odd banking problems, so I emailed Alliant. Alliant reps went the extra mile to help me, promptly, not in 24-48 hours.

Also, nothing beats the ATM fee reimbursement feature. They reimburse up to $20 per month, pretty high limit, not a trivial benefit in our case. When my son went to college, we found that no ATM on campus is in the CO-OP network. Fortunately, with his Alliant teen account, he can get cash from any ATM on campus safely and not having to worry about fees. Alliant is truly a life saver.

If you want to keep your banking simple and at one place, go with Alliant.

As a Vanguard Advantage Account holder I'm surprised that they have such little support. I wonder if they will discontinue it since they certainly don't promote it and make it hard to find on their web site. I like having check writing on the Fed Mondy market account. Awhile ago I was going to use it as our main checking account but the MMKT rates were almost zero.

They only allow you to open an advantage account if you have a half million dollars in Vanguard funds. I think part of the problem is that Vanguard really doesn't have any revenue sources from people using them like a bank to make up for the cost of offering the service. Most other broker-banks are putting money into their own bank and profiting from the spread or putting people in high fee money markets (last time I looked at Schwab's earnings, they were making more off banking net interest margin and money market expense ratios than everything else they did combined). Meanwhile, Vanguard has no bank operation and runs its MMFs at cost.

On my way home from Thanksgiving, I was driving through Memphis and saw a billboard for Orion FCU offering 4% APY interest on balances up to 30k. That's $1,200 a year in interest. As soon as I got home, I set up an account online and have been happy thus far. You can find out the details here: https://orionfcu.com/checking/ Other observations:

They have online and mobile apps. You can deposit checks via the app.

To get the 4% APY, you must have an electronic deposit of at least $500 per month and 8 debit card transactions. Each month, I deposit $501 from my other bank account, spend around $20 on coffee each month to satisfy the debit card criteria, and then auto withdrawal back to my other bank around $480 each month. I auto invest the $100 in monthly interest payments into my M1 Finance taxable account. This keeps the account total at the 30k amount.

If you live outside of Memphis, you have to give a one-time $10 donation to one of the charities they list when you signup online.

They provide free debit MasterCards, and free checkbooks.

I had to call them to make the account a joint account; the staff picked up the phone right away.

Unfortunately, there is, at least initially, a low maximum for transferring money from one of your other bank accounts into your Orion account. $2,500 at a time. It will take a month or two to fill the account with $30k.

Whether you find Zelle useful or not, I bring it up as an example of consumer banking features that are unlikely to be made available on a brokerage account. Wells Fargo now has a 'cardless' ATM option, so you can get a code from your phone to use the ATM without your physical ATM card. Many banks offer the ability to instantly lock and unlock your debit card right from your phone in case you lose your card. I'm sure there are and will be more of these modern conveniences in the future - just be aware that the Fidelity CMA isn't likely to add or adopt any new features.

Meh, history has shown otherwise. Take mobile check deposit as an example. Fidelity has a profit incentive to innovate.

I personally don’t like Zelle all that much. It’s basically just the large banks’ response to PayPal/Venmo.

- the online CD management is excellent, you can change what happens at maturity, select where the money goes, what happens to interest, etc. I don't know of any other online or B&M bank that allows that flexibility.

- The Ally no penalty 11 mo CD is currently at 2.25% (for minimum 25K), works like a savings account after the 6 day hold period.

- the online CD management is excellent, you can change what happens at maturity, select where the money goes, what happens to interest, etc. I don't know of any other online or B&M bank that allows that flexibility.

- The Ally no penalty 11 mo CD is currently at 2.25% (for minimum 25K), works like a savings account after the 6 day hold period.